U.S. Marine Sgt. Monica Perez, of San Diego, left, helps Lance Cpl. Mary Shloss of Hammond, Ind. put on her head scarf in August 2009 before heading out on a patrol in the village of Khwaja Jamal in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan. Perez and Shloss were members of the Female Engagement Team whose mission was to engage with local Afghan women.

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New orders from the Pentagon: The military on Thursday formally opened thousands of jobs to women in units that are closer to the front lines than ever before, reflecting what’s already been going on as female American soldiers fight and die next to their male comrades.